By Tom Parsons
June 19 – Dusko Krtalica, an amateur goalkeeper from Bosnia, was shot in the head by a stray bullet during a match — only to finish the contest by brushing off the pain as a routine knock he’d taken!
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
June 19 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter may still not have confirmed publicly whether he intends to remain in the job when his current four-year mandate expires in 2015 but his number two has added to growing indications that the veteran Swiss may yet try to carry on into a fifth term.
By Mark Baber
June 19 – Sporting Chance, the charity set up by former England and Arsenal defender Tony Adams to support players with addiction problems, says the majority of its referrals are now gambling-related and that on-line bookies are actively targeting players with their aggressive marketing techniques.
By Andrew Warshaw
June 19 – Days after announcing that that its 2018 World Cup budget was likely to double to over $20bn, Russia has provided more details of how the money will actually be spent.
June 19 – The trial of French football stars Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema over claims they paid for sex with an under-age call girl has been adjourned for procedural reasons until next year.
By Paul Nicholson in Rio de Janeiro
June 19 – Justino Compeán, Mexican vice-president of Concacaf, says the biggest challenge facing his confederation still lies in the Caribbean – two years after the cash-for-votes scandal that rocked CONCACAF to the core. But, he says, the organisation is in safer hands than ever under its increasingly influential president Jeffrey Webb.
By Andrew Warshaw
June 19 – Ethiopia look resigned to having their hopes of qualifying for next year’s World Cup jeopardised after admitting fielding an ineligible player in a recent qualifier.
Dealing with the tough demands of earning one’s crust, as a professional in top flight European club football, whilst serving one’s country – regarded as a sacred duty, by compatriots, during World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers – has always been a high-wire balancing act for players.
Unlike their European counterparts, who can normally reach any part of their continent within a few hours and return to their clubs rather quickly,
By Andrew Warshaw
June 18 – Asian football, so often embroiled in negative politics, is doing its best to support thousands of Syrian refugees who have been streaming over the Jordanian border.
By Mark Baber
June 18 – The latest draft of the so-called Fans Bill, making its way through Russia’s State Duma, sees sanctions for violators of the rules of conduct, covering spectators and organisers and owners of sports facilities, significantly increased in an attempt by the 2018 World Cup hosts to ensure the tournament is hooligan-free even though it is still five years away.
By Paul Nicholson in Rio
Against a backdrop of persistent public protests over the expense of staging the 2014 World Cup, FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke has defended Brazil’s investment by saying it will be of benefit long after the event.
By Paul Nicholson in Rio
June 18 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter has warned that football cannot be just about profit and that with so much money coming into the game, also comes risks and responsibility.
By Paul Nicholson in Rio
June 17 – The respective leaders of the next three World Cup organising committees had the rare experience of sharing the same panel on Monday as they described the challenges that lay ahead for Brazil, Russia and Qatar, respectively.
By Andrew Warshaw
June 18 – Turkish giants Fenerbahce and Besiktas have put their respective searches for a new head coach on hold pending the outcome of match-fixing hearings conducted by Uefa next week.
By Andrew Warshaw
June 18 – Six teenage footballers and one of their fathers have been found guilty by a Dutch court of beating an amateur linesman to death in an incident that shocked the nation and even prompted the intervention of Fifa President Sepp Blatter.